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Defensive Driving
Defensive Driving can mean the difference between life and death. Defensive driving
means driving to prevent accidents in spite of the actions of others or the presence of
adverse driving conditions. Simply stated, defensive driving means being ready for any
surprises.
ProperDriving Position
The seating position of a driver when driving a car is very important. Correct sitting position
would cover 50% of your driving as well as gives you better control of your car.
A - Drivers elbow must be slightly bending about 40 degrees.
B – Space in between head and heads rest must be no more than 1 inch.
C – Shoulder must firmly rest on the seat.
D – Seat belt must be worn at all times. Seat belt must rest on your shoulder
and secures around the waist to avoid any bodily injuries.
E – Both knees must be bent slightly about 40 degree angle.
Steering Position
Recommended hand position should be at 9-3 or 10-2 on the steering wheel.
'Pull-push'steering is the best method of steering
It provides a better sitting position
It provides better grip
It is smoother to handle the steering wheel
It is the most efficient method of steering
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The pull-push method is to place your hands on the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions or 9
o’clock and 3 o’clock position of the steering wheel. The right hand remains on the right side
of the steering wheel and the left stays on the left side. If you turn right, the right hand will
pull the steering wheel down and the left hand moves down to take over. The left hand
pushes the wheel up as the right hand moves up. This method prevents the hands from
crossing over like with the hand-over-hand method.
Common Driving Distractions
Looking at a scenery
Looking for route signs
Unfamiliar situations such as, staring at an auto accident
Problems inside the vehicle such, as, using a car phone & eating while driving
Lighting a cigarette
Children who are un restrained.
Before you start each day, perform a simple pre-trip inspection including the following:
Brakes
Steering
Tires
Lights, signals and suspension
Mirrors and wipers
Safety belts and other device
Horn
Aggressive driverand Road Rage:
Avoid eye contact.
Stay calm and relaxed.
Make every attempt to get out of the way safely. Do not escalate the situation.
Do not challenge an aggressive driver by speeding up or attempting to hold your
position in your travel lane.
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Ignore harassing gestures and name calling, and do not return them.
If you are being followed by an aggressive or threatening driver, do not stop or
get out of your vehicle. Drive directly to the nearest police station.
Verbal provocations, such as yelling, cursing, excessive horn honking, rude or
obscene gestures and threats.
Driving actions, such as cutting off another vehicle, extremely close tailgating,
blocking another vehicle from using a traffic lane, pursuing or chasing another
vehicle, or running it off the road, deliberate ramming or bumping of another vehicle.
Avoid becomingan aggressive driver:
Allow enough travel time to reach your destination on schedule.
If you're running late, call ahead and inform that you would be late. This
would relieve the stress put on yourself to make the appoiment.
Do not drive when you are angry, upset or tired.
When driving, relax and remain aware of your posture.
Alter your schedule to avoid driving during peak highway congestion periods.
You can control your own reactions to other drivers. If someone else drives
aggressively, do not retaliate.
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Be prepared to give up the right-of-way to avoid a crash or prevent confusion. Waiting a few
seconds for another driver is far better than risking a crash.
Rear Wheels Skid
If your rear wheels begin to skid, immediately take your foot off of the accelerator and steer
against the slide--if you feel the rear of the vehicle sliding to the left, then steer the car to the
left; if the rear of the vehicle overcompensates and begins to swerve in the other direction,
slowly steer the car in the direction of the skid. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. Most
cars have ABS (anti-lock brakes) brakes, but for those that do not, pump the brakes gently.
FrontWheels Skid
Take your foot off of the accelerator and shift to "Neutral." At this point, do not worry about
steering out of the slide. The wheels sliding sideways will build friction and regain traction on
the road. As soon as you feel the traction return, place the car in "Drive" and accelerate
gently.
DefensiveDriving Attitude
A defensive driver takes every reasonable precaution to prevent traffic accidents, over and
above what the law requires. To become a defensive driver, "yield" rather than "take" the
right-of-way.
Adjust your behaviorto handle:
Unexpected actions by other drivers and pedestrian
Unpredictable and continually changing factors of light, weather, road and traffic
conditions
How you feel
Be dedicated to error-free driving
Remember:these steps could save yourlive or your love ones.
Obey all speed limits and signs.
Be attentive and drive responsibly.
Always wear your seatbelts.
Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Before driving a car, do a safety check on your car.
When you get into the car, adjust all mirrors and seats before placing the key in the
ignition.
Always use your turn signals.
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Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you for greater stopping distance.
(least 2 seconds behind the car in front of you)
Mobile Phones - it's illegal to use your mobile phone while driving, that’s includes
when you are waiting at traffic lights.
Anticipate danger. Watch out for the other driver’s mistakes.
Keep your glasses, windows, mirrors, and headlights clean.
Avoid accidents: keep your mind on your driving. Avoid Distractions.
Avoid driving with aggressive tendencies.
Familiarize yourself with emergency procedures.
Avoid tailgate at anytime.
Plane your intended journey.
Practice is good driving attics. ( be cautiously , be considerate & be patience )
Rural Driving - when driving in rural areas, be extremely careful of
• Potholes and rough surfaces
• Soft and broken road edges
• Single lane bridges
• Road surfaces changing without notice
• Livestock and wildlife crossing the road
(particularly just near sunrise or near sunset)
• Very large trucks (road trains)
• Road closures
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Tire Safety & Management
Most of us operate our cars on a daily basis and hardly pay any
attention to one of the most vital parts of our vehicle which is our TIRES
Unfortunately very few of us change this bad habit of not
checking the tires until it is too late.
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Did you know that tires too have Expiry Dates???
Its 4 years after date of manufactured!
Which is stamped on the side of the Tires
This numbers indicated on the tire reads as such (5107)
“51” would mean the 51st
week (which would mean the 3rd
week of December)
“07” would mean the year 2007.
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If expired tires are used most likely this tires could puncture easily or even burst
while in use, resulting in serious injuries or even fatality.
Another important point to remember about tires is to inflate it properly.
Information on proper PSI for your car Tires could be found in the
Owner Manual.
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Information on PSI could also be found on the side of your car tires,
Indicating the maximum allowable inflating pressure for that specific Tire brand.
Another important fact to consider is the load put on our car tires. Overloading our
cars would put a strain on our tires & could also be factor to tire failure.
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Tire Information
What we need to know about TIRES
Date of manufactures
Maximum inflating pressure
Maximum load capacity
Tire Size
Temperature resistance.
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SIGN TYPESAND SHAPES
Regulatory / Mandatory signs
Warning signs
Guide / Information signs
Overtaking
Overtaking might not be the most
common cause of road accidents,
but overtaking accidents are
certainly amongst the most
serious.
If You are Not Sure Then
DONT DO IT !!!!
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Night Driving
Driving at night presents a whole new set of challenges, reason is visibility reduced by the
darkness, hazards that may be glaringly obvious in daylight might be harder to see.
However, there are steps you can take to ensure a safer drive through the night
How well can you see? Do you need glasses or contact lenses? Consult your
optometrist, you might need to wear prescription glasses for driving.
Go slow when you are leaving a brightly lit building. This will give you eyes time to
adjust to the darkness.
A windscreen that is clean and clear to improve visibility.
Use the light of oncoming vehicles and the vehicles ahead of you to gain valuable
clues on the layout of the road. Think about what might be lying ahead and use all
the clues you can to anticipate what might be coming up. Clues available include
road signs, white lines, and other markings.
If you are feeling tired, stop. The undeniable fact is, night driving is very tiring
because you have to concentrate harder. Make sure there is good ventilation in your
car, get plenty of rest before embarking on your journey, and schedule frequent rest
stops into your journey to prevent driver fatigue.
When in doubt, don’t overtake. Drivers are advised to be extra careful about
overtaking at night. Hazards may be out of the range of your headlights and pose a
significant threat if you can’t react fast enough.
Maintain a safe speed. It is advice not to drive at night at high speed.
In conditions of poor visibility caused by heavy rain or fog is advise to discontinue
driving
Keep your distance from the vehicle in front by using the two-second rule.
Use your high beams on open highways but always know when to change to low
beams.High beams blind other drivers and increase the likelihood of a crash
If you have car trouble, pull off the road as far as possible. Warn approaching cars
by turning on your emergency light or hazed lights
Wet Weather
In wet weather your cars stopping distance is greatly reduce. It would require double the
distance to stop then in dry weather.
It is advised that the 2 second distance is maintained while you are driving in wet weather.
This would provide you adequate time to react if there was an emergency or danger. Reduce
the speed you are travelling as speed in excess of a mear 60 kilometres would render you
vehicles light and un responsive due to no traction or gip provided by your tries. It is best that
on wet surface you gradually slow down by gently applying the brakes to avoid the vehicles
form skidding out of control.
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All the above tips as well as Do’s & Don’ts are not meantto burden
you while you drive it rather has been createdto make your drive
on the road safe as possible.
